When TV people talk about "digital convergence," they're usually talking about software, namely universal access to video content made possible by the merging standards for encoding, transmitting and recording. These are the "disruptive" technologies that drive viewers to iTunes and Hulu, and network executives to Maalox and Zoloft.

But there's another kind of digital convergence on the hardware side. It's just as disruptive, but get this: the news is almost all good. We're talking about the rapid improvements in high-end consumer video products that make it feasible to use them on air alongside — or even in place of — professional equipment costing many times more.

Now here comes the latest example and it's startling. One of the best high-def video cameras you can buy isn't a "professional" model. It isn't even a video camera. It's the full video mode of the new Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital still camera.

This $2,700 camera (minus the lens) won't ship until November but its advance reviews have already made it a sellout on the major electronics Web sites. No wonder. It's packed with such features as a 21 megapixel CMPS sensor, auto ISO 100-3200, and it shoots 3.9 still frames per second continuously. And, of course, it accepts the full range of Canon lenses.

But it's the camera's video capabilities that have captured such attention, most notably its ability to record up to 12 minutes of 1080p H.264 video on a removable 8 gigabyte SD card and its HDMI and standard composite (AV) video output. Its LCD monitor adjusts automatically for ambient light and can be programmed to store three custom exposure modes.

You can read the full list of specifications by clicking here. But, if you really want to see what this baby can do, check Reverie, the striking two-minute video shot by Pulitzer prize-winning still photographer Vincent Laforet just 12 hours after receiving a preview EOS 5D from Canon. (Click here to view the Reverie video.)

Laforet shot this romantic nighttime fantasy primarily with available light, juxtaposing a male and female model against the Manhattan architecture and skyline. Note especially the clarity of detail and color in the lightest and darkest regions of each shot. This is true in both foreground and background, whether the scene is illuminated by a lamp post, a car dashboard or the city lights beneath a helicopter. (Click here to see a behind-the-scenes video that reveals how the shots were achieved plus full-res clips of the original images.)

Note that most of Reverie was shot at an ISO of 2000. That's two stops of sensitivity higher than you can get from Sony's F900R HDCam, which goes for $80,000, or almost 30 times more than the basic Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

To be fair, Laforet avails himself of some $25,000 worth of SLR lenses, only a few of which a TV station would ever want or need. Moreover, the Sony F900R is a full-featured professional camcorder designed to withstand the rigors of field production. On the other hand, the Canon EOS 5D offers some significant advantages over a full-size, full feature video camera. To wit:

• The ability to accept SLR lenses offers tremendous flexibility and creative tools for commercial production.
  
• The size and weight make it a smart and unobtrusive choice for documentary and investigative shooting, especially in low-light situations.
  
• The ability to shoot four still frames per second at 21 megapixels means that every still frame is ready-made for creative post-production. It's the Ken Burns animation effect on steroids, perfect for promotion and sports production.

The story here is not that consumer equipment is making itself useful in station and network production. High-def consumer cameras are now commonplace in newsrooms. Ultra-cheap units like the pocket-sized Flip Mino are popular despite their reduced video quality. And as all good CNN iReporters know, even cell phone video is adequate if you're the first on the scene.

Of course, none of these products is designed for constant use, and each demands at least some compromise in video quality. Not so the video features of Canon EOS 5D, which offers a whole new business model: superior performance at a bargain price.

The chief reason? Instead of typical CCD (charge-coupled device) chips, it uses the latest CMOS (complimentary metal oxide semiconductor) circuits, which are much more powerful and energy efficient. No wonder they're becoming the industry standard. Among the benefits of CMOS is the elimination of vertical smearing that mars high-contrast video images, such as car headlights at night.

The video output of the Canon EOS 5D is so strikingly good that it forces a hard question: As the line between "pro" and "prosumer" gear grows ever thinner, why does the "pro" version cost so much more? Sure, a durable, heavy-duty enclosure justifies a higher price — but a 2,000 percent markup?

More to the point, have we finally reached the end of the traditional electronics engineering model where professional products drive innovation, which is then scaled down (some might say dumbed down) for cheaper consumer versions? Or has this now been replaced by the opposite tactic, namely innovative features perfected for high-end consumer gear migrating up to the professional lines?

There are still strong arguments to be made for both philosophies, but as television budgets tighten, station group engineers need to start driving that conversation.

Tech Spotlight, by TVNewsday Contributing Editor Arthur Greenwald and commercial producer-director Glenn Przyborski tackles engineering and technical issues every Thursday. Do you have a question you'd like to see answered? Send it to greenwald@tvnewsday.com.